


I'm Not a Damsel in Distress!

by lilsamarooo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Graphic Description, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Injury, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Episode: s03e14-15 The Boiling Rock, Pre-Slash, Rated For Violence, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko's Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:08:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25040644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilsamarooo/pseuds/lilsamarooo
Summary: “I’m a waterbending master, Zuko. It’s insulting that you think I’m going to miss and cut you with a tiny icicle.”Letting out a slow breath, the banished prince lowered his gaze to the floor again and tried to focus on sharpening his swords. After dinner, Katara had thought that it would be a good idea to practice her waterbending under the moonlight. No problem there, Zuko himself loved to practice his firebending in the sunlight. The issue was that she decided to practice right next to him.Or,Zuko gets hurt and thinks he deserves it as punishment. Sokka's there to tell him otherwise.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 184
Kudos: 2915





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sokkasboomerang](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sokkasboomerang/gifts), [SomethingStupid2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomethingStupid2/gifts).



> TW: I described Zuko getting his scar in a flashback, but it's only for a couple sentences. Happy reading!

❧

“I’m a waterbending master, Zuko. It’s insulting that you think I’m going to miss and cut you with a tiny icicle.”

Letting out a slow breath, the banished prince lowered his gaze to the floor again and tried to focus on sharpening his swords. After dinner, Katara had thought that it would be a good idea to practice her waterbending under the moonlight. No problem there, Zuko himself loved to practice his firebending in the sunlight. The issue was that she decided to practice right next to him.

Another razor-sharp shard of ice flew close to the scarred side of his face, and Zuko flinched again, not able to stop himself. Katara shot him another glare, which in his opinion wasn’t really fair because yeah, he did chase her and her friends across the world, but he also got her father back from an inescapable prison. Agni, he’d been shoved in a cooler, too! He’d had nightmares about that lately, not that he’d tell anyone. Not that anyone would care.

Another icicle, another flinch. The others sat tensely around the fire, watching but not saying a word. The Avatar looked like he wanted to speak up as an ice shard came a bit too close to Zuko’s face to be safe, but the earthbender placed a hand on his arm, halting the words before they came. Next to the water tribe boy, Sokka’s… girlfriend? Zuko didn’t really know, but Suki inhaled sharply as another icicle flew past, nearly catching the firebender on his scarred cheek. Again, he flinched and jerked back slightly.

He could ask Katara to stop, but that would mean having to explain _why_. Zuko didn’t want to explain that his eyesight and hearing on his left side were impaired, and that the icicles suddenly coming towards his face _scared_ him. On top of that, he didn’t want Katara to start yelling. Zuko hated the panicked feeling that made his chest tighten and his eyes sting when he was yelled at. It reminded him of his father, shouting and burning anything near him that made him angry. _I made him angry,_ Zuko thought sadly _and he burned me._ Instinctively curling in on himself, he failed to notice another icicle heading towards him, now pointed towards his face.

For a moment, the cut didn’t even hurt. Only for a moment, though. Then a burning feeling spread across his left cheek, just under his eye. Zuko heard a panicked scream, and it took a second for him to realize that he’d made the sound. The swords clanged as they hit the stone floor, and his hands shot up to cover his scar, and he almost gagged and the feeling of blood seeping between his fingertips, hot and slick. It was all too familiar. Suddenly, he wasn’t at the air temple anymore. He was back in the Fire Nation, kneeling before his father as he gently cupped his son’s face. That gentle grip turned harsh and the smell of burning flesh filled the prince’s nostrils. Screams tore themselves out of his throat as he felt his face melt and sizzle.

A hand on his shoulder made Zuko snap his head up, and he found himself looking into Chief Hakoda’s eyes. The older man looked angry, Zuko realized, and he almost knocked their heads together as he stood up quickly, swaying slightly. The others had surrounded him, forming a crude half circle, and the firebender couldn’t help but feel like he was a trapped animal, waiting to be killed. The man was saying something, but Zuko was shaking with fear. He’d been wary of Chief Hakoda since he’d arrived, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the man dropped his act and started to behave more like his own father. They’re all the same, after all. Always ready to raise their hands against anyone who wasn’t good enough for them. Right now Zuko saw no difference between the chief and the Firelord.

Hand still clamped firmly over the burning cut, the firebender turned and ran to his room, tears filling his uncovered eye and making it difficult to navigate the unfamiliar space. He stumbled into his room and shut the door before pressing his back to the opposite wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. Zuko’s chest was heaving with silent sobs, and he muffled his small whines in his arm.

It wasn’t wrong for him to be upset, right? Katara had been shooting ice at his blind side, it was perfectly reasonable for him to be upset.  _ No, _ a small voice in his head whispered.  _ This is what you deserve. This is the price you have to pay for chasing them around and trying to capture them, so the least you can do is sit there and take it without crying like a baby. _

Zuko didn’t know how long he sat there for, shaking and hugging his knees to his chest as blood continued to sluggishly drip from the cut, but he was startled by the door opening and shutting. Looking up he was surprised to see Sokka. He was less surprised when he took in his surroundings and saw that he’d entered the wrong room in his panicked state.

“I’m sorry,” the firebender said, wincing at his raspy voice and roughly scrubbing at the tears on his face. “I didn’t realize I was in the wrong room-” He hissed as his hand rubbed the cut, and whined softly as he felt more blood drip down.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Sokka hushed him, moving forward to sit next to the smaller boy. He’d grown taller than Zuko, but thankfully there’d been no teasing about it. Yet. Zuko tensed as a gentle hand tilted his head back slightly, but he didn’t pull back. Sokka brushed away the new tears that’d begun to fall and inspected the cut. It was shallow, even Zuko knew that much, but still bleeding enough for him to be dizzy. “Is it okay if I take you back outside? You’ve been here for hours and it’s better if this is treated properly.”

“Katara won’t heal me,” Zuko whispered. “She’s angry, and I don’t want her to yell at me…” His breath hitched and he buried his face in his arms, not caring if he got blood all over his clothes. “I don’t deserve to be healed, anyway,” he continued softly, the words muffled by fabric.

Beside him, Sokka tensed. “What do you mean, you don't deserve to be healed? Of course you do.”

Zuko shook his head, sniffling. “This is what I deserve for hunting you guys for so many years. This is punishment and I can take it.”

A whoosh of breath had him looking over curiously. Sokka’s face was a mixture of shock and horror. “No, Zuko, we aren’t  _ punishing  _ you,” he breathed out, pulling the firebender so that his head was tucked under the taller boy’s chin. “You helped me get my  _ father _ back. Katara has no right to be so mean to you, especially now that Dad’s back with us.”

This was… confusing. “So none of you are mad at me for running away?” he asked quietly, bringing his hands up to curl loosely in the front of Sokka’s shirt. “I promise I wasn’t trying to scream, I just got scared because I couldn’t see the icicle-”

“What?” Sokka interrupted, pulling back slightly to look at Zuko. “It was right in front of you, how couldn’t you see it?”

“I…” Zuko frowned slightly. He hadn’t told anyone besides his uncle, but Sokka was nice. He wouldn’t abuse this information, right? “I can’t really see or hear that well on my left side,” he said hesitantly. “I got scared because I didn’t know where the ice was and then suddenly it felt like my face was o-on fire again…”

Sokka made a wounded noise and curled protectively around the firebender. “Zuko, I’m _so_ _sorry_ ,” he whispered, burying his face in the smaller boy’s inky hair. “I should have said something as soon as she started throwing the ice.” His voice was heavy with regret and guilt and he hugged Zuko tightly. The prince winced when his cut rubbed against Sokka’s shirt, and he jerked back. “Yeah, we should probably get that looked at. If Katara’s mean to you, I’ll tell her off myself, okay?”

Sokka waited until Zuko gave a tiny nod before helping him stand. The firebender gave a small squeak as he was scooped into the taller boy’s arms. “You were swaying on your feet,” Sokka said, trying to will away the blush on his face when Zuko looked up at him through dark lashes and pouted.

“I could’ve walked.”

“Yeah, but this is way easier. And besides, this way everyone will think I’m a hero for rescuing the damsel in distress!”

“I am  _ not  _ a damsel in distress!”

❧


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies and a confession (?). Does it count if someone else does it for you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around for part two!

❧

Katara was the first to speak.

“Ugh, would it kill you to stop being so dramatic? It was a tiny cut, you don’t have to play victim-”

“Katara,  _ behave _ .” Chief Hakoda interrupted, glaring at his daughter. “You should be apologizing.”

This was not going well. As soon as Sokka had walked into the courtyard with Zuko in his arms, all chatter died down and the group sat tensely around the dwindling fire. The others had expressions ranging from concern to guilt, but Katara’s was… harder to interpret. Her face was closed off so that only one emotion was clearly visible: anger.

Zuko curled in on himself as the chief and his daughter continued to argue. He pulled on Sokka’s shirt lightly in a silent request to be let down. Sighing, the taller boy complied and gently set him on his feet, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder. The firebender tried not to listen to the venom spewing from the waterbender’s lips, but her words were hurtful, and a sudden urge to cry made his good eye water and sting.

Next to him, Sokka leaned down and brushed away the tear that’d gathered in the corner of his eye. “Zuko, what’s wrong?” he whispered, gathering the smaller boy to his chest. Instead of the comforting feeling Zuko had felt when they were alone, he felt overwhelmed and anxious. All eyes had turned to the pair as soon as Sokka had touched Zuko’s face, and he didn’t like all of them staring at him. He pulled away from Sokka and wrapped his arms around himself, trying to ignore the scoff Katara let out at the hurt look on Sokka’s face.

“Katara, would you just  _ shut it  _ for  _ one second? _ ” Sokka growled, whipping around to glare at her. “I don’t know why you’re being so mean to Zuko. He helped me get Dad and the others back, is that not proof enough that he’s on our side? And he’s not being dramatic, he couldn’t even see the ice you were throwing at him!”

A tense silence filled the courtyard as the others took in Sokka’s words. Zuko was shocked that Sokka had stood up to Katara like that.  _ Why would he not take his sister’s side? _

Surprisingly, it was Aang that spoke up. “What do you mean, he couldn’t see? Katara was throwing the ice right at him,” he said, confusion clear on his face. The others had similar expressions. Sokka looked at Zuko and the firebender exhaled shakily. He hadn’t wanted to tell  _ anyone _ about his sight and hearing issues, and now he had to tell everyone. He felt the water tribe warrior put an arm around him and he let himself lean in, seeking the stability and warmth.

“I…” the prince hesitated, not able to meet the eyes of the people surrounding him. These were his… friends right? Not Katara, but she wasn’t  _ cruel _ or anything. They wouldn’t think less of him… probably. He hoped so. “I can’t see or hear very well on my scarred side,” he said softly, and the others leaned in to catch his words. “I couldn’t see the ice coming towards me, and I- I just got  _ scared _ …” Zuko curled into Sokka’s chest, feeling the taller boy’s arms wrap around him protectively. “A-and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to get mad, because you k-kind of reminded me of Azula,” he finished, meeting Katara’s eyes and wincing as the wind picked up and made his cut sting.

The waterbender looked guilty and… sad? The others’ eyes were wide with shock and pity, and Zuko closed his eyes, not able to take the staring anymore. He heard a sharp exhale and his eyes shot open as Katara began to speak.

“Zuko… I- Sokka’s right!” She exclaimed, hands fisted by her sides. “I’ve been so rude to you and you did help Sokka get Dad back. I’m sorry it took me hurting you to realize this, and I’ll understand if you don’t want to forgive me, but please believe me when I say that hurting you was an accident. I tried to move the ice but it was too close to your face, and you not being able to see well makes me feel worse but I still shouldn’t have practiced so close to you either way. I hope you can forgive me and we can start over.” Their eyes met and Zuko slowly untangled himself from Sokka’s embrace. His arms had loosened in shock at Katara’s speech and the taller boy had a proud look in his eyes as he stared at his little sister.

“If you can forgive me for chasing you around the world, I can forgive you for a training accident,” the firebender said, a hesitant smile slipping onto his face. He relaxed further as Katara returned his smile, and Zuko jumped slightly as he felt the cool touch of water on his cut.

“This’ll only sting for a second,” the waterbender said, and Zuko sighed in relief when he felt the cut begin to close.

“Thank you, Katara,” he said softly, and smiled when he felt Sokka’s arms wrap around his from behind, the taller boy resting his chin on the top of the firebender’s head.

“Yeah, thanks, Katara,” Sokka parroted, grinning at the prince’s flushed face.

Suddenly, Toph’s voice rang out in the courtyard, breaking the soft connection between the two boys. “Sokka, you finally told Sparky you have a crush on him! I thought you told me you were gonna wait to tell him though?”

Sokka turned beet red to the group’s amusement, and Zuko’s eyes were wide as saucers. “Toph,  _ no _ -”

❧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this was as good as you thought it’d be! Kudos + Comments are always appreciated! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos + Comments are appreciated! Don't hesitate to let me know if you think I missed any tags/warnings. Part 2?


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